With advent of portable computing such as smart phones, tablet computers, wearable PCs, e-book readers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. users of these devices have access to a large number of applications, with each application used for one or more tasks. The Android™ platform of Google, Inc., and supported by Open Handset Alliance (OHA), for example supports tens of thousands of applications in different areas that include health, lifestyle, entertainment, games, shopping, social, tools, productivity, etc. among others. The applications for Android platform are generally made available to consumer devices on Android Market of Google, Inc. Similarly, the App Store™ of Apple, Inc., provides tens of thousands of applications in various areas of interest, which can be run on devices such as iPhone™, iPad™, iPod Touch™, etc. of Apple, Inc.
To help users choose applications for installation and use on their devices, Android Market, App Store, other distribution platforms and websites classify applications into various categories such as social, productivity, tools, finance, etc. In some cases, the applications are sorted based on factors such as popularity, user reviews, staff reviews, featured applications or the like. Determining an application to be installed and/or used for a given task can be tedious in such distribution platforms. Examples of specific tasks include providing feedback on a service provided at a given store, recording the schedule (such as date and time) of a sale described in a media advertisement, etc. The classification of applications on distribution platforms and/or websites is based on general factors/categories and choosing an application for a given task can be tedious and/or difficult and/or time consuming.
In some cases, users of consumer devices are made aware of applications using a barcode, and/or uniform resource locator (URL) which can be used to download/install the application. The bar code and/or URL can be made available on websites, or on paper prints that are posted on areas such as walls, posted on billboards, etc. These methods of communicating applications have some disadvantages. These methods for example require that users scan a bar code using a camera or bar code scanner on the consumer device, or have users type in the URL manually to an application manager on the consumer device. The process needs to be repeated once for each application (made available using this scheme) installed by the user, which can be tedious or not very user-friendly. The user needs to first locate the bar code and/or URL. Once the user has located the bar-code and/or URL, the user needs to make a decision of installing the application, and then launch the application manager or bar-code scanner to help with installation. This process is therefore not very practical and/or user-friendly.
If the tasks managed by the user is changing wherein each task is managed by different application, having the user determine the applications for each task, and installing them for each use is not practical. An example of such scenario is the case of applications in context of media consumption. Having a user install applications for each ask he/she needs to accomplish can be tedious and/or impractical because locating application for each task can involve one or more of looking up distribution platforms, web sites, identifying bar-codes and/or urls of applications, etc. This process can discourage a user from installing or using applications.
Consider scenario wherein a user can interact with a media that's being telecast, using an application on a consumer device. A TV show can, for example, accept ratings from users based on performance by a set of candidates using an application on consumer devices. A TV advertisement for a food product can, for example, provide nutritional information about the product using a “nutrition application”—while the advertisement is telecast. Each track/segment of media can be associated with different applications.
Another situation where the application changes, is when user goes from one store to other. In situations where each store can provide services using consumer devices with applications specific to each store, a user is required to install applications for different stores in order to access their services. Having a user install applications for each store he/she visits can be tedious and/or impractical because locating each application can involve one or more of looking up distribution platforms, web sites, identifying bar-codes and/or urls of applications, etc. This process can discourage a user from installing applications. The applications provided by a store may not be popular on distribution platforms such as Android Market, Apple, Inc.'s App Store, etc., but can help achieve a specific task for a user while he/she is at the store. An example of such case is an application provided by a restaurant that recommends items from the restaurants menu, based on user preferences. The application can be supported only by a specific restaurant in which case, a user can be discouraged from locating the application and installing it just to address a one-time need of determining suggested menu items. Applications that have a short use-time such as these can therefore not be used very much. This can result in users not leveraging advantages associated with these applications.
A simplification in the management of applications on consumer devices can help various entities (such as stores, web sites, libraries, offices, restaurants, media services, or the like) in providing services to users, using applications on consumer devices. Changing services and/or conditions can help in providing different services to users using applications that can be specific to the new service and/or condition. For example, the services (using applications on CDs) provided by a store can change on a holiday or when the store is running a sale event. A different set of services can be provided by a store for example, by new applications. Improved techniques in regard to application management on consumer devices can help in providing new services to users by deploying the new applications for use on CDs.
In some scenarios, users have a number of applications installed on their consumer devices. Users select an application for a task by browsing through the list of installed applications. An increase in the number of applications installed on the consumer device can make it difficult for the user to search and/or determine the application to use for a task at hand.
It would therefore be desirable to provide improved techniques, methods, systems and apparatus to facilitate provisioning and/or managing of applications associated with consumer devices.